INTERIOR Secretary Benhur Abalos, PNP chief General Rommel Marbil, Police Regional Office 11 director Brigadier General Nick Torre, and Davao City Police Office director Colonel Hansel Marantan. They are the current Men of the Hour after they succeeded in capturing Pastor Apollo Quiboloy and his four co-accused inside the Kingdom of Jesus Christ compound last Sunday.

Add to them are other PNP officials including PNP Director for Intelligence Major Gen. Patrick Obinque, PNP Intelligence Group Officer-in-Charge Brigadier Gen. Romy Macapaz and the ‘unsung heroes’ from the Davao regional police office and other police augmentation forces who worked tirelessly, many of them with little rest and sleep over the past two weeks.

In the end, honest-to-goodness pure police intelligence work, state-of-the-art equipment, help from KOJC insiders who also want justice for their peers and tons of patience and dedication displayed by the PNP ended up the manhunt saga watched by the whole country and the rest of the world.

Let’s give credit where credit is due. This time, the police force, with their dogged determination to succeed ignored all those bashings from Quiboloy’s fanatics and pressure from his allies led by former President Duterte, his family and their loyalists.

When Brig. Gen. Torre took over as the PRO11 director last June 16, I told him he faces a real tough job of getting Quiboloy in his turf ruled by the latter’s best friend FPRRD and his children for more than 20 years now. The official, a friend from the defunct PNP Narcotics Group, said in God’s will and time, he will get the pastor.

Indeed, strong pressure from Quiboloy supporters, the KOJC and his broadcast station started coming left and right especially right from the moment Brig. Gen. Torre and his men entered the KOJC compound to serve the warrant of arrest issued against Quiboloy et al.

It was like watching a “Pinoy Big Brother or other television reality shows” from there on as every move of the police force was broadcast live. Each time they tried to move, they were met with angry protests from KOJC members and Quiboloy’s lawyers who tried to fool the nation by claiming the wanted leader is not hiding in the compound.

They cried foul when police started handcuffing some of their fellows who started transgressing the law, insulting officers by all means. But they were silent when police accused them of hurling human waste, subjecting policewomen to frisking and body searches and other unimaginable actions.

Remember that day when they barricaded the national highway going to the Davao International Airport with heavy equipment and other vehicles prompting the police to disperse them after hours of negotiation? Countless people were forced to walk for kilometers just to reach the airport ahead of their scheduled flight as a result. Sabotage?

There was really “no retreat, no surrender” for the police force despite the barrage of criminal charges filed against them as a result of the manhunt. They include the case for malicious mischief filed by FPRRD against Sec. Marbil, Gen. Marbil and other top PNP officials in connection with the KOJC operation. The case was filed by the former president at the office of Judge Mario Duaves of the Davao City Regional Trial Court Branch 15.

Other petitions and complaints filed against Abalos and the PNP officials in connection with the Quiboloy manhunt include a petition for writ of amparo and habeas corpus data, volation of domicile, interruption of religious worship, offending the religious feeling, and grave threats under the Revised Penal Code as well as administrative chargers for grave misconduct, grave abuse of authority and/or conduct unbecoming of a public officer.

After carefully studying the case, the Court of Appeals declared the Temporary Protection Order issued by Judge Guaves to the KOJC as “null and void” saying that ‘to allow the public respondent to continue hearing the case would certainly circumvent the mandate of the Supreme Court. The public respondent should have stayed his hand in the Amparo Case to prevent any semblance of bias or influence—the very evil sought to be prevented by the Supreme Court resolution.’

Prior to the CA ruling, the PNP said there’s no reason for them to celebrate since the Davao City court order would not stop them from serving the warrants. In the end, the PNP was eight as the Appelate Court ordered all cases against Quiboloy transferred to Quezon City from Davao City where the latter is known for being very influential.

Then there were the so many “diversionary tactics” from his camp and supporters in a move to confuse the police. Davao City Mayor Baste Duterte did not allow the PRO11 to have a copy of the KOJC’s building plans. Vice President Sara Duterte-Carpio even said she thinks Quiboloy ‘is now in heaven.

Finally, senators conducted an investigation into the police operation right inside the Davao City capitol, allowing the whole country and Filipinos abroad who were watching Facebook Live to hear the side of the police force vis-à-vis the angry protest of lawyers of Quiboloy who were not keen on saying anything regarding the sexual abuse, child abuse and qualified trafficking cases filed against him.

On Sunday, already cornered like rats by the police, Quiboloy and his four co-accused emerged out of the KOJC’s Bible School and were promptly placed under arrest by the police. His lawyers again concocted the tale that he decided to make the ultimate sacrifice by surrendering himself to the PNP and AFP.

The names of Davao del Norte Governor Edwin Jubahib, Army Major Gen. Allan Hambala, PNP officials Major Generals Leo Francisco and Benjie Silo and Brig. Gen. Macapaz were even mentioned as those who facilitated the “surrender” of Quiboloy.

But the DILG-PNP leadership says there is no such thing as surrender. He was forced to yield because 1,000 heavily-armed troops have already massed-up in front of the KOJC’s Bible School and were just waiting the go-signal to storm it. Gen. Marbil said his only order for Torre was to ensure that ‘no children or innocent person’ would be hurt’ during the planned strike.

Past 1 p.m. Monday, Quiboloy and his co-accused, all wearing orange-colored prisoner’s shirt were presented to the press by Sec. Abalos and Gen. Marbil. The PNP chief said that prior to his arrest, Quiboloy had made it clear he doesn’t want to see Brig. Gen. Torre. In short, he wants no face-to-face meeting with Torre. That never happened. The self-proclaimed “Anointed Son of God” was made to stand just a few inch away from victorious Torre.